I, Who Hate Marine So Much, Have Become A Future Nika?

Chapter 301: Heavenly Dao, Human Dao

In the battles of Azure Ash World, although Cloud Firmament Sect and the remnants of Changsheng Sect played the leading roles in the final battle, many members of Dao Sect had participated before.

As a result, the major sects were all paying close attention to this battle.

In that battle, everyone witnessed the descendants of the Sinful God, rapidly growing and spreading like a plague in a short period of time. They saw the power of Zhong Cang and the devastating blow dealt to the remnants of Changsheng Sect when combined with the Sky Floating City and the celestial weapons.

The unique combination of aerial and celestial warfare, with a casualty ratio of one to one hundred or even one to ten thousand, left many people dumbfounded.

Even though many of the spectators were Nascent Soul level powerhouses, their reactions were similar to those from foreign lands. After watching that battle, they all had a bewildered expression on their faces.

At the same time, their first reaction was:

"Can wars be fought like this?"

"There are actually wars where people don't die?"

"War? No, this is not a war, this is a massacre!"

"Sky Floating City, gather all the information on the Sky Floating City, with all our efforts!"

"Kou Ke Wang, I also... Cloud Firmament Sect achieved such outstanding results relying on Zhong Cang and the Sky Floating City. Zhong Cang's talent is extraordinary, something we cannot imitate, but if Cloud Firmament Sect can build the Sky Floating City, we can too!"

"After this battle, the form of warfare will change!"

The Nascent Soul level powerhouses who were observing the battle were not fools. They did not believe that just because their sects and Cloud Firmament Sect were both part of Dao Sect, they could form an unbreakable alliance.

After witnessing the terror of the Sky Floating City and its integrated aerial warfare, these powerhouses immediately began to ponder: if their sects were to conflict with Cloud Firmament Sect, and Cloud Firmament Sect were to use the Sky Floating City against them, would they be able to respond?

The answer they received to this question was: they would be unable to respond.

The integrated aerial warfare that could crush the remnants of Changsheng Sect would naturally be able to crush them as well.

Whether it was the concentrated bombardment of the Heavenly Nail or facing the disciples of Cloud Firmament Sect in formation, this kind of battle was not something they could handle.

What made these cultivators even more desperate was that if they were to engage in a direct confrontation with the ground sweeping teams of Cloud Firmament Sect and were defeated, they would have a chance to escape.

But if they were to win, the Thunderbolt Heavenly Nail would immediately descend. This constant feeling of imminent support made the powerhouses of their sects and the talented disciples lose their composure.

Not wanting to fall into this situation, the major sects had few choices.

One option was to directly concede when conflicting with Cloud Firmament Sect, but this act of selling out their sects was absolutely impossible.

The second option was to prevent the Sky Floating City from taking off, but Cloud Firmament Sect's celestial city had already been successfully built.

Helpless, they could only choose the third option, just like Cloud Firmament Sect, to build their own Sky Floating City and engage in an arms race.

But in order to build it, they needed to understand the concept of the Sky Floating City.

And who understood the construction method and concept of the Sky Floating City the most?

Naturally, it was the disciples of Cloud Firmament Sect who had built it with their own hands.

During this period of time, the formation masters and weapon refiners who were involved in building the Sky Floating City were being courted in every possible way.

Even the most ordinary weapon refiners were received by Gold Core disciples and promised that if they were willing to convert to their sect, they would be treated as core disciples.

While the low-level disciples were being valued in this way, the temptation for the formation masters and weapon refining grandmasters was even greater.

Some sects even promised that if they went over and helped them build the Sky Floating City, they would be given the position of the Palace Master of the Weapon Refining Hall or the Formation Hall.

The recruitment efforts of the other sects in Dao Sect made Cloud Firmament Sect, despite being bound by oaths, raise the benefits and status of the formation masters and weapon refiners in order to secure their loyalty.

But for the formation masters and weapon refiners who were involved in building the Sky Floating City, what made them the most excited was not the increase in benefits and treatment.

Those benefits were useful for the lower-level disciples, but the high-level weapon refiners and formation masters were not lacking in spirit stones or respect.

What truly excited them was that news of the Sky Floating City had spread throughout the Northern Region, and they, who had successfully built the first Sky Floating City, had become pioneers in the fields of formations and weapon refining.

Although they were only the founders of a branch, they still left their names in the history of formations and weapon refining.

From then on, as long as the Sky Floating City did not fall, their names would be immortalized alongside the Sky Floating City.

This kind of reputation is what the array masters and artifact refiners value.

Even Nascent Soul and Soul Formation cultivators are no exception to this, which is why there are so many people who want to participate in the creation of the Virtual Second World.

Naturally, Zhong Cang is happy about this.

After all, it can accelerate the construction of his Virtual Second World, and it's like having a backup food supply.

The more cultivators like this come, the happier Zhong Cang is.

...

Under Zhong Cang's leadership, the construction of the Virtual World - Illusory Heavenly Palace began in full swing.

Under his proposal and explanation, everyone used Universal Truth spirit stones as the main server, along with many treasures, to build a huge "server" group.

Of course, "server" is what Zhong Cang calls it. In the eyes of others, it is a formation of a virtual illusion.

During the process of building the formation, Zhong Cang also set up firewalls one by one.

Even under Zhong Cang's arrangement, there were more cultivators establishing soul firewalls than those building the server group.

There's no way around it, the virtual world can be invaded.

In the previous life, when the invasion was successful, many companies only suffered some losses of data and money.

But Zhong Cang's virtual world requires imprinting a trace of soul mark in order to enter.

If a demonic cultivator enters the virtual world, they can establish a connection through the soul and corrupt the cultivators inside.

For this reason, Zhong Cang naturally has to take various protective measures.

Putting the server outside instead of in his own mind is just one of Zhong Cang's protective measures.

Various soul firewalls are also Zhong Cang's defense against demonic cultivators, Heavenly Demons, Sinful Gods, and Immortal Dao experts.

In order to resist them and reassure customers, the soul firewalls naturally need to be as tight as possible.

...

During the time of server construction and the establishment of strict firewall measures, Zhong Cang was extremely busy.

And just when he was busy without rest, the opportunity mentioned by the sect master Lin Yuan arrived.

However, the signs of the opportunity opening made Zhong Cang fall silent.

...

"Buzz!!!"

While Zhong Cang was busy, a earth-shattering roar and a terrifying fluctuation that made cultivators shudder suddenly came from somewhere, causing Zhong Cang to shiver.

"What is this?"

The unknown fluctuation made Zhong Cang frightened, and he involuntarily looked towards the source of the fluctuation.

Then, he saw a blood moon rising from the earth and hanging in the sky, at some unknown time.

Being enveloped by the blood moon's radiance, Zhong Cang couldn't help but feel nauseous and disgusted.

"A blood moon? Why is there a blood moon rising in the Hongxuan Continent... Could it be the Sinful Gods? Have they entered the Hongxuan Continent?"

"But that's not right, our defenses in the lower realm are still intact, there are no signs of any leaks. Even if the Sinful Gods are powerful, they may not be able to transmigrate over."

Initially, Zhong Cang thought it was absurd that the Sinful Gods would enter the Hongxuan Continent.

However, thinking about the power of the gods, not only their unmatched strength but also their various incredible abilities, Zhong Cang's mindset gradually changed.

And three days later, news came that confirmed Zhong Cang's speculation - some Sinful Gods had somehow bypassed the defenses of the Hongxuan Continent and entered the mainland.

Although the place where the Sinful Gods descended was a desolate desert, with their transcendent status and power, they still caused a catastrophe that resulted in countless casualties.

...

"The true bodies of the Sinful Gods have entered the Hongxuan Continent? Fortunately, they only entered the desert. If they entered a place rich in spiritual energy... Wait a minute!"

"Could it be... things are not as I thought..."

Regarding the entry of the Nieshen entity into the Hongxuan Continent, initially, Zhong Cang was shocked and bewildered.

Then, he understood and accepted it.

However, as he thought more and connected to the latest news, Zhong Cang's mood gradually became fearful.

This fear was not because the Nieshen was powerful.

For Zhong Cang, those high-ranking existences were indeed unmatched, but even if the sky were to collapse, there were True Monarchs in the Hongxuan Continent who were close to immortality.

What chilled Zhong Cang to the bone was the ease with which the Nieshen entered the Hongxuan Continent.

"There is a mole!"

"There must be a mole. Immortal Dao's divine calculations have shown that without assistance, the Nieshen would never be able to enter the Hongxuan Continent silently."

"Moreover, Master once said that a change in the heavens is imminent. Could this mole be the Master?"

"But why? What benefit do we gain from the Nieshen entering our world?"

Zhong Cang didn't understand. However, a few days later, the change in the heavens truly arrived, and as Zhong Cang felt the fluctuations in the rules of the world, he understood why powerful cultivators secretly supported the Nieshen's entry into the Hongxuan Continent.

To explain this point, we must start with the rules of the heavens.

- Zhong Cang has received numerous blessings from the heavens and has made several grand vows to advance his cultivation techniques.

He once compared the heavens to protectors, the parents of all living beings. Because of this, does Zhong Cang think the heavens are good?

The answer is - not really.

Zhong Cang always remembered a saying, "The heavens and the earth are ruthless, treating all living beings as mere straw dogs."

This does not mean that the heavens treat humans like dogs.

It means that the heavens are impartial and selfless, and their purpose is for the development of the world.

This may seem like a good thing.

However, the way of the heavens is to take from the surplus and give to the deficient; the way of humans is to take from the deficient and give to the surplus.

The way of the heavens and the way of humans have some areas of harmony but also severe contradictions.

For example, the heavens emphasize cycles. The cycle of the heavens allows for longevity but not immortality.

In the eyes of the heavens, it is best for everything in the world to return to dust and for humans to come and go between the heavens and the earth.

By doing so, everything can circulate and develop in the world.

Is this a good thing for the world?

Yes.

The spiritual energy within a single world is limited. If powerful cultivators were to live forever, they would occupy all the spiritual energy and authority in the world. The lower-level cultivators would have no resources (spiritual energy) and would be stagnant, unable to ascend to higher positions.

In such a world, there would be no future.

In certain worlds capable of Ascension, Ascension cultivators take away a large amount of spiritual energy, gradually turning the lower realms into deserts of spiritual energy, forbidden lands and death zones for cultivators.

Moreover, the foundation of a high martial world is spiritual energy. Without a supply of spiritual energy, the heavens would also fall silent, and the world would be downgraded.

Therefore, the cycle of the heavens is not considered wrong.

To deal with this crisis, the various heavenly paths have various countermeasures.

Wear and tear, the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, the decline of spiritual energy, Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, and even Heavenly Kill Tribulation.

Even the legendary Honghuang era was plagued by this, undergoing continuous Opening Heaven Tribulation, Dragon and Phoenix Initial Tribulation, Witch and Demon Tribulation, and the Battle of Enfeoffment... and so on.

In these tribulations, countless powerful beings died and were injured. This was a terrifying disaster for dragons, phoenixes, immortals, demons, and humans alike.

However, the deaths of these powerful beings also distributed the spiritual energy and authority they had occupied, allowing the living beings in the heavens and the earth to grow and thrive... as well as die.

Without the deaths of the Three Thousand Demon Gods and the Great God Pangu, the Honghuang era would not have been born.

The decline of dragons, phoenixes, and qilins was the reason for the rise of witches and demons.

And humans also grew on the basis of the severe injuries suffered by witches and demons.

Some people die, some people are born, this is the cycle of heaven's principles.

However, the heavenly path wants everything in the world to cycle endlessly, and then fill the heavenly path with the vitality of the dead, allowing the heavenly path to grow and the world to expand.

But humans and powerful beings do not want to die!

Longevity, immortality, these are the instinctive desires of all living beings.

Therefore, there is dispute in the way of heaven and man.

This dispute manifests in reality as different calamities.

As for other worlds, Zhong Cang does not know the specific situation.

But in the Hongxuan Continent, calamities are different.

The Foundation Building's Forty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations for advancing to Gold Core, at this moment, cultivators are still in their infancy, and the heavenly path takes a protective attitude, so this is both a calamity and an opportunity.

The Nascent Soul's Sixty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations for advancing to Soul Formation, calamity and opportunity are already equivalent.

And above Soul Formation, calamities become heavier and opportunities become fewer.

The heavenly path wants high-level cultivators to die and join the cycle of the heavenly path.

Therefore, in addition to experiencing Thunder Tribulation, high-level cultivators also have to endure Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, and Demon Tribulation.

In addition to these, there are the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, the Grotto-Heaven Tribulation, and the Heaven and Earth Killing Tribulation.

The Ascension Tribulation that comes after these is even more terrifying.

After all, for the "rebellious children" who want to ascend with spiritual energy, the heavenly path is truly prepared to strike them dead.

Other calamities are just a matter of life and death, but the Ascension Tribulation is a tenfold death without life.

This is not a test, but a bombardment.

Only by not being killed can cultivators ascend.

However, unfortunately, the heavenly path in the Hongxuan Continent is very strong, which makes Ascension still just a legend in this world.

"It is said that Scattered Immortals have a better chance... Could it be that the heavenly path saw cultivators ready to abandon their bodies and ascend with their vast spiritual energy, so it let up a little?"

...

However, he can afford not to care, but the higher-ups in the cultivation world cannot.

After all, the heavenly path needs the living beings in the world to deal with the enemy.

Numerous disasters have caused great contradictions between powerful cultivators and the heavenly path.

"Ah... no wonder at the beginning of cultivation, cultivators seek unity of heaven and man, to go along with the heavenly path. But in the end, they all bitterly say that cultivation is going against the heavens..."

This is also why Gold Core and Nascent Soul cultivators are more common in the Hongxuan Continent, while there is a sudden scarcity of cultivators above Soul Formation.

As he reached the end of his thoughts, Zhong Cang's tone was no longer questioning, but certain.

...

In a harsher way, it is that they have withdrawn and do not want to attract the attention of the heavenly path.

In the face of the invasion of external forces, there is a high probability that the heavenly path will relax its suppression of cultivators in the world and even support their growth.

(End of this chapter)

The reason for this is that Zhong Cang... has also enjoyed the benefits of the opening of the restrictions by heaven and earth.

With numerous calamities, endless disasters, and the disdain of the heavenly path, many powerful cultivators are simply afraid to move around, fearing that a careless move will bring about the arrival of a killing order.

Ascension has nothing to do with Zhong Cang, he doesn't need to consider it.

Originally, faced with the disdain of the heavenly path, powerful cultivators could only endure and hope to survive the Transcending Tribulation and ascend.

When the Sinful God intruded into the Hongxuan World and the rules of heaven and earth changed, Zhong Cang felt that his advancement was no longer hindered, but instead had the immense luck blessing him.

"So, you planned all this to attract the Sinful God and lift the restrictions of Opening Heaven! This is all your scheme!"

But the impact of the Sinful God has given them new possibilities.

In a nicer way, it is said that cultivators admire the Great Dao and diligently cultivate.